Kipenzi: Giraffe Dies At Dallas Zoo In Accident

Kipenzi, a baby giraffe whose birth was live-streamed at the Dallas Zoo in April, has died in an accident.

Kipenzi, the 3-month-old giraffe, died at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday of a broken neck vertebrae after she made a sharp turn into the perimeter of the barn that was part of her herd's habitat. Zoo keepers were moving the herd into their night barn when the calf began to scamper about the feeding yard, the Dallas Zoo said in a statement, according to AP.

"This is a huge loss for our giraffe herd, our staff and our guests," Gregg Hudson, zoo president and CEO, said in a statement, according to CNN. "To be honest, it hurts terribly. We're crushed, and everyone here is mourning."

Kipenzi's mother, Katie, visted the calf's body before veterinarians and zoo keepers removed her, the zoo said, according to The Independent.

"Running is a typical behavior for giraffes of all ages, especially young ones like Kipenzi," said Harrison Edell, a senior zoo director. "We've been very cautious with where we've allowed Kipenzi to roam, as we were with her siblings ... when they were small. It's heartbreaking that this happened where it did despite our precautions."

Kipenzi is the second celebrity animal to die this month: Cecil the Lion from the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, was killed on July 6 when a Minnesota dentist lured him outside the national park.

Tags

Dallas, Texas, Animal planet, Giraffe, Giraffes, Baby Giraffe